


Have Yourself a Merry Little Bell-Flint Christmas

by RosevalleyNB



Series: Happy Christmas Collection [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Family, Friendship, One Shot Collection, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-06 01:12:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5397323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosevalleyNB/pseuds/RosevalleyNB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The obligatory Christmas work.<br/>A collection of unrelated one-shots based on December and/ or Christmas based prompts from various sources. </p><p>Of course, it's all Katie and Marcus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> My Christmas wish is to get the rights to Harry Potter. Until Santa grants me my wish, the HP franchise does not belong to me. 
> 
> Sidenote: chapters will be added as long as it's December and inspiration hits. Suggestions and comments are always welcome.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But, Katie, how did the mistletoe get there?

“Wipe that grin off your face, Flint,” Katie hissed as she eyed their Tornadoes teammates gathered around them. They were laughing and pointing, waiting for the inevitable. She crossed her arms and forced herself to deepen the scowl on her face. This was not how she had imagined this day to go and the sooner they got this part over with, the better.

 

“No, I’m good, thanks.” Marcus’ grin grew wider, showing off his big crooked teeth as he waggled his brows at her. “No need to pretend that you don’t want this.”

 

“I do not!” Katie cried in indignation and tried to take a step back. Unfortunately, the invisible bounds kept her in place with a little space to move. When Marcus leant closer, which would be the little space, she jabbed his chest with her finger. “I’m serious, Flint, sod off or else.”

 

“Or else what, Princess?”

 

“I-I…” Katie racked her brain to come up with a painful punishment for which she wouldn’t need her wand, as the damned thing lay in her locker. “I’ll pinch you,” she finally said, cringing at her own lameness. Flint got hit in the head with a Bludger at least once per match; she doubted a simple pinch would register with him.

 

“Oh, yeah, I’m scared now. You’re brutal, aren’t you?”

 

Marcus burst out laughing, and Katie had to admit it was kind of infectious. His whole body shook and from this close, his cologne mixed with sweat filled her nostrils with each move he made. If the situation had been different, she would have buried her face in the crook of his neck to inhale the spicy scent until she got off from it. What could she say, she was a sucker for manly smells. Not that she would admit or act on it, though. It was his fault that they were stuck like this, she convinced herself, which wasn’t the truth per se, but he didn’t need to know that. So, to maintain her cover, she furrowed her brows even more and pursed her lips so hard she was sure that she had caused herself a few wrinkles. “Stop laughing, and go away.”

 

“You’re putting me in a bind here, Bell. You see, there is just one way for me to go away. That involves me getting closer first. But I can’t because you’ll pinch me if I do. So, you’ll have to do it for me.” After he looked her up and down, licking his lips as he did so, he added, “I know you want to.” He bit his lips to keep himself from laughing again. It was difficult, though; the scandalised look on her face was just too priceless. “I promise, I won’t pinch. Much.”

 

“Why you…” Katie balled her fist and shook it at him. Nevertheless, he was right; there was just one way to get out of this predicament, and she wasn’t as unwilling as she pretended to be, but he didn’t need to know that. Yet. Depended on the outcome. “Fine. I’ll save us from your muck up, then.”

 

“Hey, how is this-”

 

“Oh, shut up, big baby.” She beckoned him closer with her finger. “No funny business, Flint, and keep your hands to yourself.”

 

Still grinning, Marcus held up his big, calloused hands before hiding them behind his back. “Look, all to myself, Princess. Now, give us a kiss, darling. I’m gonna catch a cold if keep on dallying.” He closed his eyes and puckered his lips, making kissing sounds as he lowered his head.

 

“You’re disgusting.” Katie grimaced for good measure. She couldn’t have their teammates getting the wrong idea. Yet. Again, it depended on the outcome. “Come a bit lower, you oaf, I’m not as trollishly tall as you.”

 

“Is that even a word?” That earned him a swift kick to his shins and chuckles from the others around them. So, perhaps it was a word then. Or not? He couldn’t be too sure; he had never paid much attention in school. A soft tap on his chin broke his brief musings and he remembered what he was supposed to do. Right, kissy kissy.

 

“Ready?” Katie asked to stall time. When he nodded, she knew that she couldn’t wriggle her way out this anymore. Not that she wanted to.

 

“I was ready a half hour ago.”

 

This was it, the moment of truth.

 

She held her breath as she put her palms on his chest, imagining that his heart pounded as fast as hers did. The way he looked at her told her that he enjoyed watching her squirm, and she was okay with that. But then he had to go and soften his taunting grin and turn her legs into jelly with that shy smile of his. Bloody hell, why did he have to look almost handsome like that? Perhaps, she imagined this as well, or it was another wishful thought, but he suddenly seemed as nervous as she felt.  

 

“I’m going to kiss you know,” she said quietly, again stalling time. Merlin, she felt fifteen-years-old again, when she had snuck around behind the rosebushes at Hogwarts for a quick snog with Terry Boot.

 

“So, you’ve said,” Marcus answered equally soft and shuffled closer until there wasn’t any room left between them. They stood nose to nose now, their bodies so close that he was sure that she felt his heart thump against her chest. Her soft and round chest…

 

“Here it comes.” Katie placed her hands on either side of his face and gently pressed her lips onto his. For a moment, nothing happened, to her utter disappointment. No prodding, no licking, or a wet tongue down a throat, not that she liked those kind of kisses. Still, it wouldn’t have been flattering to get some reaction, and not just stiff lips against hers. But then, just before she wanted to pull away in disillusionment, he began to kiss her back.

 

It wasn’t fast, or hard like one would expect from a quick kiss for the sake of a kiss, but rather slow and lazy, and full of something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. They took their time as they softly deepened and explored the novelty of their kiss. Katie always used to laugh whenever her friends talked about how time seemed to stop when you kissed ‘the one’, teased them about their ridiculous romantic ideas of true love’s first kiss and whatnot and how stupid it was. But now, as she felt the invisible bounds around her feet dissolve and the cheers and whistles of their teammates filtered through the blood drumming in her ears, she wondered how long they had been standing there like that.

 

When Marcus broke away, it felt far too fast for her liking. And when he stepped back, she wanted to demand him to get back this instance and finish what they had started. However, other than a longing sigh, nothing sensible came out. Damn Flint and his magical, freakishly soft lips.

 

“See, it wasn’t that difficult.” Marcus grinned lazily, satisfaction exuding from each pore he imagined. He reached out, wanting to stroke her flushed cheeks and have another taste of those lips, but not wanting to overdo it he decided against it. He was sure that he’d get another chance. So, he gave her a courteous nod and walked off in the direction of the changing rooms, ignoring their teammates baying and wolf-whistles.

 

And in honesty, his muscles were getting cold after the gruesome training they had earlier.

 

Half through the corridor, he glanced over his shoulder. She still stood there, eyes glassy and her fingertips on her lips. Before he could stop himself, and later he would kick himself for doing so, he pointed at the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling and said, “The next time you want a snog, just ask, Bell. No need for those games. I’m always willing; you ought to know that by now.”

 

By the time he jumped into the shower for a hot soak, and a quick rub as he fantasised what he would do to Katie once he got her alone, he could still hear her curse him out outside. Which, strangely, fueled his fantasies even more.


	2. Gift-wrapped Jingle Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real question should be if Marcus wrapped up that list bit himself, or did someone lend him a helping hand?

Their flat was dark and chilly when Katie came home after a successful day of Christmas shopping with the girls. As she stepped out the fireplace and numerous bags and packages came tumbling after her, she realised that she might have gone a bit overboard. Not that it bothered her that much, for once she had the money to splurge and spoil her loved ones, but she knew a certain Scrooge who would not be pleased with her excessive spending. Speaking of which…

 

“Marcus?” she called out as she put on the lights, crossing her fingers that he wouldn’t be home yet so she could hide away the evidence. Not one to take chances, she called out again when he didn’t reply.

 

“Thank gods,” she mumbled in relief and gathered the presents in her arms to hide them in her bedroom cupboard, the one thing in their lives they didn’t share. It was the one place she knew he wouldn’t look; mere talking about her shoes and handbags had the ability to cause him a stroke and foam at the mouth.

 

Just as she was about to head off to their bedroom, her eye fell on the too small Christmas tree with its branches almost succumbing to the excessive amount of ornaments hanging from them. The irregularly blinking fairly lights, which Marcus refused to acknowledge as the malfunction it was because of the two Knuts it would cost to replace them, had come on. For a change, it wasn’t the annoying seizure inducing lights that distracted her. No, that would be the man-sized, gift-wrapped in glittering gold and silver paper, well, man standing next to it.

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered as she tried to figure what he had come up with this year to save a few Sickles. Then again, it couldn’t be as bad as last year’s Christmas present, when he had bought her tickets for a concert she had wanted to see at the Royal Albert. These turned out to be super cheap tickets for seats behind a pillar, blocking the view completely. She could have lived with that oversight if it the tickets hadn’t been super cheap, _forged_ tickets. The humiliation of being thrown out for using falsified tickets for the cheapest seats available still burnt her cheeks whenever she thought back at it. He just found it hilarious, of course.

 

And now this. Was she supposed to leave him standing there until Christmas? He still had the match against the Magpies to play before the winter stop.

 

“Is that you, Marcus?” she asked, ending with a sigh. When the package rustled, she nodded in resignation. Obviously, it would be him, who else. But first things first. “Stay there, I’ll be right back, yeah?”

 

Hoping that he hadn’t seen the evidence of her overindulging in shopping again, she rushed off to hide the packages in their bedroom. For good measure, she put a layer of Disillusionment Charms on them for safe-keeping in case he got a sudden bout of nosiness, which always tended to happen this time of year. By the time she returned to the living room, her gift-wrapped man stood swaying on his spot, the big silver bow on his head flopping back and forth, and the sparkling paper had turned dark in places he, she assumed, was sweating.

 

He could wait, though, Katie decided.

 

She took her time taking off her cloak and shoes, lighting a roaring fire in the hearth, and pour herself a generous glass of wine. All the while, her ‘gift’ stood on its spot, the wrapping paper happily sparkling in the flickering of the fairy lights. Where she assumed his mouth was, the paper rapidly moved in and out. Hadn’t he thought of air vents?

 

Then again, who was she kidding. This was Marcus; of course, he hadn't. His ability to strategize and think ahead tended to drop to zero the moment he came off the Quidditch pitch, and today was no different by the looks of it.

 

She'd talk to him about that later on; it was time for her to play along before he passed out.

 

“Are you a gift for me?” she asked as she plopped down on the sofa. The package rustled again and hopped forward. As she took a big gulp of her wine, she told herself that she the soft jingle of bells she heard was the ringing in her ears because she had worn herself out during her shopping. “Hmm, should I wait till Christmas morning before unwrapping you?”

 

The bow furiously shook in all directions, a clear no.

 

“So, I should do it now, then?”

 

Another few hops forward until he stood right before her was the answer to her question. Again, she sure that she heard bells with each hop. However, the glittering package of a man demanded all her attention, so she let it go.

 

“Where to start?” she mused as she looked him up and down. He had done an excellent job covering himself, and she wondered who of his dim-witted friends had put the idea in his head. And probably helped him as well. “You’re face first?”

 

Without waiting for an answer, she put her glass down and got up on her tiptoes to take the bow from his head. It was a miracle that he hadn’t strangled himself waiting for her with how many times the ends were circled around his neck. When the ribbon was completely detangled from his head, she tossed it aside.

 

“Should I tear the paper off or detach the Spello-tape?” Katie rolled her eyes when he didn’t move. If he thought that they would be re-using the gift-wrap, he was dearly mistaken. Still, she humoured him and started with the tape on the top of his head and slowly worked her way down.

 

It didn’t take long before his floppy black hair came into sight, then his thick brows, followed by his grey eyes large with excitement. His cheeks were flushed, from the lack of oxygen or excitement, she couldn’t tell. Finally, his broad grin came into sight when the two large pieces of paper fell aside.

 

“Surprise! You like?” Exhilarated and full of energy, he jumped up and down in his spot. “Do you?”

 

Katie chuckled and placed a kiss on his sweaty cheek. “It’s a surprise, all right. Did you come up with it all by yourself?”

 

“Higgs.” Marcus nodded, his friend always had the best ideas. “I told him what I wanted and he came up with this. Helped me wrap up and everything.”

 

“Of course, he did.” Katie trailed her finger along his paper covered chest, wondering what he had hidden underneath it. It was expensive gift-wrap by the looks of it, and knowing Marcus, he didn’t spend all this money just to get wrapped up for the sake of it. He was too much of a miser for that. “It’s a nice, uh, gift.”

 

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything, yet, love. Go on, you’re not done.”

 

“I’m not?” She patted his chest in fake surprise. “Have you something hidden underneath there?”

 

Marcus waggled his brows. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out. Now, get to it, woman.”

 

“Charmer,” she mumbled and set to work without further fuss. He had a present for her; that was all she needed to know.

 

Despite his whining about pulling out his chest hair that got stuck to the pieces of Spello-tape, it was easy enough to unwrap his torso and soon enough, his bare chest and arms were uncovered. It was always a pleasure to see him undressed and this time, it was no different for her. Although, Marcus clearly had other thoughts about that. He grabbed her wrist when she raked her nails down his stomach and tutted in rejection.

 

“Nope, get down on your knees first.”

 

“Excuse me?” Katie yanked her hand free, ready to tell him off for being a tad too bossy. There was a time and place for such behaviour, and unless she was mistaken, it wasn’t Sunday yet.

 

He flashed her a bright smile to even out her scowl. “Get down and start with my feet and work your way up. Merlin, get your mind out the gutter, Bell.”

 

“You’re the one to talk.” Katie crossed her arms, not liking the game anymore. If she didn’t get to play, what was the sense in unwrapping her present, anyway.

 

“Yeah, yeah, bad influence and whatnot.” He put his hands her cheeks and planted a sound kiss on her lips. “But you love me for it, I promise. Think about your present.”

 

Katie pouted for a minute as she looked up at him from underneath her lashes. He stuck out his lower lip, raised his brows, and blinked furiously. He looked like a puppy pleading for a treat, and when he added soft whiney noises, she threw her hands up in the air in surrender. He always had a way of convincing her. “Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll start with your feet.”

 

Again, she set to work. This time, she was a little less careful about it, tearing the paper in impatience when the tape at his feet didn’t come loose as quickly as she wanted it to.

 

“Hey, be careful, we could use-” He bit his tongue when she held out her finger as a sign for him to shut up. Perhaps, he was pushing it by wanting to re-use the wrapping paper. “S’okay, sorry, carry on.” He’d find a way to repair the damage.

 

Now that she didn’t pay too much attention to keeping the paper as intact as possible, unwrapping Marcus went even faster than his top half, even with her hand wandering now and then to feel him up, which he slapped away each time. First, his hammertoes came into sight, and then she tore her way up to his nicely defined, but very hairy calves, to his knobby knees and from there, up to his muscular thighs until she reached an obstacle.

 

“What’s this?” she asked as she looked up in confusion. He was supposed to be naked now, and at her mercy, not wearing some sparkling paper nappy with a small bow in the front. That did absolutely nothing for her, and she couldn’t recall if it did for him.

 

Putting his hands behind his head and donning, what was supposed to be, a seductive pout, Marcus thrust his pelvis in her face. “Your present is underneath, love, come and get it.”

 

“Oh,” was all Katie could say. Wondering how much he had to drink to come up with this idea, she reached for her wine. Liquid courage was required if she was going to do this. She didn’t want to, in all honesty, afraid what she might found underneath. Surprisingly, the paper nappy wasn’t what had put her off. No, that would be the fact that the jingling she had heard earlier had not been a figment of her imagination.

 

After downing her drink in one big gulp, she reached out for the least piece of gift-wrap between her and her ‘present.’ The fact that Marcus kept swaying his hips, thus increasing the jingling didn’t help with her hesitation. Her fingers ghosted over the last piece of Spello-tape keeping it all together, one more tug before she’d see what her darling had come up with this time.

 

“You’re almost there.” Marcus circled his hips in her face, eager for her to see what he had done and collect his reward. And not a minute too soon because he was quite sure that he had suffered a few papercuts while trying to be seductive.

 

Katie took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders in preparation, and then, without warning, yanked off the last piece of tape. The nappy-like folded wrap fell to the ground, finally exposing Marcus’ gift to her and leaving her slack-jawed. “That’s, uh, that… Wow... How?” she stuttered as she looked up.

 

“For you.” Marcus nodded and thrust his hips in her face, pleased with himself. “You like? Yeah, I knew you would.”

 

With the worst of her shock subsiding, Katie leant in to study what she was seeing. Two silver bells dangled between his legs. She poked one, enticing a girlish giggle from Marcus and happy jingle from it. And the longer she looked at them and rolled them in the palm of her hand, the more she could see the appeal. They still felt the same, so the bells were a mere illusion, she hoped. It was different, they liked different on occasion, so maybe… “It’s, uh, something. It’s… they’re…” 

 

“Yeah, they’re jingle bells,” he proudly finished for her and held out his hand. She was laughing, that had to mean that she liked it. “So, you want to ring my bells?”

 

Katie took his hand and got on her feet, sniggering and shaking her head at the same time. “Oh, Marcus, what am I going to do about you?” After a quick fondle, she was still amazed how different they felt than they looked, she nodded and kissed his cheek. “I’d love to. Lead the way.”

 

Later on, as they lay in their bed in each other arms recovering, naked and sweaty and having depleted the jingle bells after overworking the bell-end, Katie couldn’t help but blurt out the sudden thought that popped up in her head. It wasn’t that she was ungrateful for the trouble he had gone through to surprise her, but this couldn’t be all, could it?

 

“Say, Marcus?” she began as lightly pulled at his chest hair. “Is this all I get for Christmas?”

 

Marcus, too lazy and spent to open his eyes, just patted her hair in reassurance and sleepily mumbled, “Don’t worry, love, there’s more where that came from.”

 

Before he drifted off to a deep sleep with a huffing Katie next to him, he congratulated himself for throwing her off track for one final time. Unlike the ticket fiasco of last year, she had at least enjoyed this silly gift. He usually wasn’t a mastermind in these kinds of things, but those mindless presents over the years had been a necessity to save up for the ultimate gift he planned on giving her Christmas morning. And being the simple man he was, all he wanted in return was an equally simple ‘yes’.

 

The only thing left to do now was to convince her to take back those presents she had hidden her cupboard.


	3. Unwinding By The Fireplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wine and a crackling fire, the fastest way to ease the holiday stress.

The two weeks before Christmas had been long and draining on Katie. A last-minute increase of her workload at the Ministry, shopping for presents for everyone and their uncle, and nightmares about burning Christmas dinner and leaving everyone hungry had left her snappy and an unpleasant person to be around, the spirit of the holiday completely lost on her. But tonight, as Katie stood before the crackling fire warming her hands, she could feel her stress melt away for the first time in a long while. It was Christmas Eve now, and she needed, albeit reluctantly, to let go of her mental checklist and the things she didn’t get to cross off it.

 

It was the time to be jolly, after all.

 

Shadows cast by the dancing flames climbed the walls of the otherwise unlit room. She hummed along with the soft music pouring from the Wireless as her eyes wandered over the photographs on the walls and a soft smile crept up her face when she stopped at the one above the mantle: their wedding picture, taken just a few short months ago. Suddenly, she felt silly for making such a fuss about the little things. They were happy and healthy; what else did she need?

 

Kicking off her shoes, she settled down on the plush rug in front of the fire. She pulled up her legs, hugged them close to her chest, and rested her chin on her knees in relaxation as she stared at the orange flames. For a minute, she felt like that young girl again, the one who would wait by the fireplace till deep in the night for Father Christmas to arrive. And always, he would come down the chimney right after she had ‘accidentally’ fallen asleep. Or, at least, her parents had made her believe so.

 

Startled, she looked up when a gust of air fanned the flames in the fireplace as the door opened. Her frown melted into a small smile at seeing her husband. Marcus stood leaning against the post, seemingly studying her to gauge her mood. He looked comfortable and inviting dressed in an old jumper and pyjama bottoms. The bottle of wine in his hands and the sly smile on his face chased away the last bit of lingering tension she felt. She was home now and that was all that mattered.

 

As her smile broadened, she reached for him, needing him to sit with her. Without a word, he obliged and was next to her in a matter of seconds. His hot breath on her skin as he welcomed her home with a simple kiss made her shiver. Somehow, every kiss with him felt like their first, exciting and full of unspoken promises.

 

Before she took the bottle of wine from his hand, she quickly nuzzled the crook of his neck to inhale his reassuring scent she craved so much tonight. As she rested her head on his shoulder, she silently summoned two glasses from the kitchen. He poured her a glass, waiting until she had taken a sip and gave her approval before he poured one for himself.  

 

The chilled drink tasted sweet and strong, rolling across her tongue as his eyes lingered on her mouth. Without taking his eyes off her, he slowly sipped from his glass, savouring the rich flavour. Cuddling close to his side again, she watched him from underneath her lashes. He turned his gaze the fire as he put his arm around her shoulder, a hint of a smile playing at the corners for his mouth.

 

She wasn’t sure how long they sat there in silence, sipping from their wine and watching the fire as it began to snow harder outside. Although, she would have been content with doing nothing more, the sudden need to feel him, ease the tension that had been brewing inside her the whole day, became harder to ignore as the clock ticked away the evening.

 

She put her hand on his cheek, pulling him toward her, and brushed her lips lightly against his warm, soft lips. When he opened up to her, she could taste the white wine on his tongue. The kiss what she had yearned for the whole day: a moment of electric connection to recharge her senses and make her feel alive again. Slowly, she tangled her fingers in his hair while his fingers left a trail of fire down her neck to her shoulders in soft caresses.

 

It didn’t take long for Katie to lose all sense of where his body ended and hers began as he continued his ministrations, deepening to kiss when she straddled his lap. Their clothes came off in eagerness to become as close as they could, skin to skin as it was meant to be.

 

She wasn’t sure if it was him trembling in her arms or the other way around when he briefly pressed her closer, slightly rocking back and forth with his head resting on her chest. Her hands fluttered across his back and hips, mimicking his touches and making up for the distance she unwillingly had created. When Marcus gently lied her down on the rug and the weight of his body settled over hers, she welcomed him and all he had the offer. When he entered her, she moaned softly into his mouth at feeling him warm and hard inside her, stretching her. His groans echoed hers as they began to move, attuned to one another as only long-time lovers could be.  

 

Wisps of hair fell across her face, to be tenderly brushed away by his warm fingertips followed by his lips caressing her eyelids and cheeks. Overwhelmed with feeling him on her, in her, she arched her back to meet his increasing thrusts as the intensity increased and their primal need took over until it became unstoppable and wave after wave of pleasure coursed through them.

 

Marcus whispered her name over and over again against her mouth, as he trembled against her when his release hit him. Not much later, she cried out his name, losing all focus as he nipped at the skin of her breasts in gentle bites.

 

Spent and breathless and tingling all over, they settled against each other. He wrapped his arms and legs around her like a protective shield. And as they watched the still crackling fire in silence, waiting for it to die out and sleep to overtake them, Katie had to admit that she couldn’t have wished for a better start for their first Christmas as husband and wife.


End file.
